Apparatus for making disintegrating top shot wads



APPARATUS FOR MAKING DISINTEGRATING TOP SHOT WADS Filed Dec. 6, 1948 1952 w. N. KING ETAL 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 ammy KCY M m.NL m

W QM AAA NE W pw J 1, 1952 w. N. KING EI'AL 2,580,794

APPARATUS FOR MAKING DISINTEGRATING TOP SHOT WADS Filed Dec. 6, 1948 v 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fig. 2

m W loo //r TO rosHoT WAD CUTTING PRESS 1N VEN TORS NICHOLAS A. QoMA/vcHuK QALPH LYNN ATTORNEYS 1952 w. N. KING ETAL 2,580,794

APPARATUS FOR MAKING DISINTEGRATING TOP SHOT WADS Filed Dec. 6, 1948 4 Shegs-Sheet 3 INVENTORS VV/LL/AM N. KING NICHOLAS A. ROMANCHUK QALPH LYNN ATTORNEYS APPARATUS FOR MAKING DISINTEGRATING TOP SHOT WADS INVENTORS VV/LL/AM N KING NICHOLAS A. ROMANCHUK '4 Sheets-Sheet 4 W. N. KING ET AL Jan. 1, 1952 Filed Dec.

RALPH LYNN BY p fi -(5% ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 1, 1952 APPARATUS FOR MAKING DISINTEGRAT- ING TOP SHOT WADS William N. King and Nicholas A. Romanchuk, Anoka, and Ralph Lynn, Minneapolis, Minn.. assignors to Federal Cartridge Corporation, Minneapolis, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Application December 6, 1948, Serial No. 63,746 4 Claims. (01.91-55) This invention relates to an apparatus for making disintegrating top'shot wads of the type disclosed and claimed in the copending application of Harold 0. Russell, Serial No. 609,238, filed August 6, 1945, and made by the process disclosed and claimed in the cop'ending application of Harold C. Russell and William N. King, entitled Process of Making Disintegrating Top Shot wads, filed of even, date herewith.

The common shot shell cartridge made prior to said Russell application consisted of a shell component made of a rolled paper tube closed at one end by a thin metal cup, usually of brass, which was shaped to provide the ejector flange and served to hold the central primer cap. In the common sequence of shotgun shell (shot shell) loading. powder is first introduced into the tubecup component and covered by a thick powder wad" of hair felt or flexible cork composition, such, as described in Patent No. 1,485,337. Above the powder wad there is placed the shot loading of pellets. which are in turn held in place by a thin top shot wad" of paper board, the latter being held in place by a roll-crimp in the end of the paper tube.

Shot shells of this type are subject to the disadvantages because the top shot wad in at least a certain percentage of the shells tends to impede the shot when fired. and cause mal-distribution of the shot pellets. The thick powder wad causes no trouble because it is below the shot load in the shell and trails behind the shot (known as the shot string") when the shell is fired. For many years it was known that when fired, some shot shells produced what is known as a "blown pattern wherein large areas within the usual pattern circle would receive few or no shot pellets. The fact that the top shot wad caused this unsatisfactory perforxnance was not known and bad performance was accepted because, up to thetime of said Russell invention of application Serial No. 609,238. better performance could not be obtained in any known shot shell construction having a top shot wad. This was the reason for the development of the sc-called wadless crimp" shot shells which give a satisfactory pat tern at-the expense of lesser loading space within the shell interior and hence at the expense of lower fire power.

After extensive research both in the laboratory and in the field, including actual photographing of many shot charges as fired, the aforesaid Harold C. Russell discovered that the blown pattern" phenomena was due to the fact that when the shell was fired the top shot wad remained intact or nearly so in a large percentage of shells and was projected along in front of the shot-string" during the early part of the trajectory of the charge and the top shot wad thereby caused poor distribution of the pellets. This difiiculty in shot shell performance was solved by the invention of the disintegrating top shot wads described and claimed in the aforesaid application Serial No. 609,238.

The present invention is a result of continued research on the subject and is directed to apparatus for commercial production of disintegrating top shot wads of the aforesaid improved shot shells containing such disintegrating wads.-

It is an object of this invention to provide improved apparatus for manufacturing disintegrating top shot wads by a continuous process and to provide apparatus wherein such manufacture may be carried out with great speed and at low cost and wherein the disintegrating top shot wads are produced with great uniformity in respect to the qualities of size, density and frangibility.

It is also an object of the invention to provide an improved apparatus for making top shot wads under controlled conditions.

It is a further object of the invention to provide an apparatus for making resin-impregnated top shot wads of level character, completely dry, polymerized and hard to cut to shape.

Other and further objects of the invention are those inherent in the apparatus herein illustrated described and claimed.

The invention is illustrated with reference to the drawings in which corresponding numerals refer to the same parts and in which Figure 1 is a side elevational view from the left side of the entire apparatus;

Figure 2 is a partial side elevational view, partly in section and partly broken away, taken from the opposite side (viz. the right side) as compared with Figure 1 and showing a portion of the apparatus shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the portion of the apparatus shown in Figure 2;

Figure 4 is an enlarged partial side elevational view from the right side, partly in section, showing the impregnating section of the apparatus of Figures 1, 2 and 3;

Figure 5 is a plan view of that portion of the apparatus shown in Figure 4;

Figure 6 is a side elevational view of the wadcutting portion of the apparatus shown in Figure 1, except from the right side thereof.

Referring to the drawingsand particularly to Figure 1 thereof, the apparatus in overall aspect includes the following components:

At the left in Figure 1 there is shown an impregnating tank section, shown under the bracket III. Adjacent the impregnating section there is illustrated a drying and polymerizing section II and adjacent thereto is a catalyzing section I2. At the right end of Figure 1 there is shown the wad-cutting apparatus I2.

The impregnating section III consists of a tank generally designated I5 which is supported on an angle iron frame I5. The tank is closed at the bottom and sides but is open at the top. The tank is, therefore, accessible only from the top and in it there is placed a framework generally designated l4, consisting of angle iron posts 11, I8, I9, 22 at the four corners thereof. The angle iron posts I1-2Il are fastened at the bottom to a rectangular stabilizing frame 2I and they are fastened together at the top by angle iron side frame members 22 and 22, the side frame members being fastened together sturdily by the cross frame members 24 and 25. The bottom frame members 2I and the top frame members 22, 22, 24 and 25 are positioned on the outside of the corner angles I1-29 and consequently the corner angles provide a vertical guide defined by the angles at the corners. From side frame members 22 and 22 at the top of the frame I4, there are provided inwardly extending lugs 28, 29, 29 and 2I. The top lugs 28, 29, 28 and 2| serve as slides in which four rods 22, 22, 24 and 25 are adapted to move upwardly and downwardly. The four rods have a length such that they extend from the bottom of the frame I4 to slightly above the top of the frame, as shown in Figure 4. At the bottom ends of the rods 22-25 there is attached a rectangular frame 25 which has a dimension such that it slides easily within the space provided by the vertical corner angles I1-28 at the four corners of the frame I4. The tops of the rods 22-25 are attached together by a rectangular frame consisting of cross frame members 21, 28 and 4| and side frame members 29 and 48. A hook 42 is provided at the center of member 4I and when it is lifted, the entire assembly consisting of frame piece 21- and the rods 22-25 and the rectangular frame 25 attached to the lower ends of the rods are all simultaneously lifted. Since the frame 28 slides within the four corner angles I12ll of the frame I4. the lower frame member 28 is stabilized against sidesway.

Adjacent the lower ends of rods 24 and 25 are mounted two rollers 44 and 45, the bearings being mounted by means of blocks 46 and 41 attached to the vertical rods. The rollers rotate on the shafts 48 and 49 mounted on the blocks. Accordingly. when the framework composed of the rods 2225 etc. is lifted, the rollers 44 and 45 are likewise lifted from the full line position of Figure 4 to the dotted line position.

In the dotted line position the rollers 44 and 45 are slightly above the central roller 59 which is mounted for rotation on a shaft 5| that is supported in blocks 52, the latter being supported on angle iron side frame members 52 at each side of the main frame I4. When the lower rollers 44 and 45 have been raised to the position shown in dotted lines of Figure 4, the paper board strip (web) can easily be threaded under the roller 44, thence over the roller 58 and thence under the roller 45. By holding the-paper over roller 55 and then lowering the rollers 44 and 45 by means of the hook 42 additional paper board strip is then drawn down to the position shown in full lines in Figure 4.

Upon the side frame members 22 and 22 there is also mounted a roller 54 which is supported on bearing blocks 55 that are in turn mounted on the overhanging ends of the angles 22 and 22. The roller 54 serves to guide the incoming strip of paperboard before it enters the tank I5 for treatment. Another roller 58 of somewhat larger diameter rotatably supported on the shaft 59 and bearing block 88 of the drying section II, as also shown in Figure 4. The roller 58 serves to guide the web of impregnated paper board stock out of the impregnating tank I5 and thence into the drying andpolymerizing section I I.

Upon the framework I4 there is also mounted a heating coil which enters by pipe H which extends to the lower part of the tank I5 and thence extends upwardly through a plurality of turns 52 and finally emerges from the tank by way of pipe 52. The heating coil is suitably attached to the angle iron framework I4.

The entire tank I5 and framework I4 and all mechanisms and pipes and rods thereon are composed of stainless steel. It will be evident that the tank I5 merely rests upon the angle iron frame I8 and that when the framework I4 is lifted out of the tank, all mechanisms are accordingly removed from the tank. This greatly facilitates cleaning of the tank for it is simply necessary to disconnect the heating pipes and then move the lower framework I5 away from other components of the machine, whereupon the frame I4 can be lifted out and cleaned separately from the tank I5.

Referring to Figures 1 and 2, particularly, the drying and polymerizing section of the apparatus, shown under the bracket II, is composed of a box generally designated 55 having end walls 55, 51, side walls 58, 59 and top 12 and bottom H. The box is supported on a leg frame 12 and is wholly closed except for the following apertures thereinto: In the end wau 55 there is an aperture 12 through which the impregnated sheet enters the box 55. In the end wall 51 there are apertures 14 and 15 and 15 through which the web passes out of and then returns into the drying and polymerizing section II during certain parts of its travel. Into the side walls 58 of the box of the drier there are three hot air inlets 18, 12 and 22 and an outlet 8I. Upon the top of the drier there is an exhaust blower 82 having an exhaust outlet 82 to the exterior of the building in which the machine is housed.

Supported upon the side walls of the drying section are a plurality of roll shafts 84, 85 and 85 which support the rollers 28, 82 and 28, respectively, these rollers defining the path of travel of the impregnated web W through the drying and polymerizing section II of this portion of the apparatus. Thus, the web W after passing over the roller 58, which is supported upon frame 81 on the exterior of the end wall 55, passes through the slit 12 and thence travels through the space 9I which is defined by the top 18 of the drying section and an interior baffle 22 which extends from the side walls 55 to a position closely adjacent roller 88. The web W, after passing through this space M in the direction of arrow 22, passes over the roller 88 and thence returns in the space 24 moving in the direction of the arrow 25. The space 24 is defined by the baffle 92 and a baille 25 which extends from the end wall 51 to a position closely adjacent the roller 82. The web W, after passing through the -I'I, the latter in turn being mounted upon the bearing bracket I08 that is fastened to the frame member I03. The web W then passes between rollers H0 and III which are of felt or other absorbent material. The roller III is situated in a tank II2 which has an overflow at H3 and a drain at II4. An inlet pipe H5 is situated above the roller I I0 and during operation a solution of acidic material. such as a 510% solution of phosphoric acid, is continuously run through pipe II5 from whence it drains upon the upper roller H0 and thence onto the web and over it and into the tank II2 where the lower roller III, being partially submerged is continuously wetted by the acidic solution. The level in the tank I I2 is defined by the overflow II3, from which any excess is again pumped back through pipe H5. The web W may be guided by the roller I I6 before entering the catalyzing tank I I2 where the aqueous solution of acidic material is applied to both sides of the web. The web then re-enters the drying section II through the slit I5 whence it continues through the space II8 which is defined by a battle II9 extending from the wall 66 to a position closely adjacent the wall 61. The space H8 is defined at its lower portion by a baflle I20 which extends from the wall 61 to a position closely adjacent the roller 90. The web W moving in the direction of arrow I2I in space IIB thence passes around roller 80 and into the space I23 where it moves in the direction of arrow I24 until it reaches the wall 61 where it passes out of the slit 6! and after passing through the lower portion of the catalyzing section I2, it enters the wad-cutting section I3.

A heater, not shown, is provided for introducing air having a temperature of 300-400" F. through the opening 80 whence the air passes in the direction of arrows I25 and I26 into the space 94 where the heated air travels again, counterclockwise to the movement of the web, in the direction of arrows I21 and I28 and enters the inlet of the suction blower 82. In the left-hand end of section 98 there may be a localized positive pressure during operation of the apparatus, but no considerable amount of heated air leaves the slit I4 because of the extension plates I00 and II! which, as an extension of the slit, form sufficient local interference to prevent all but a small amount of heated air from escaping. A second heater not illustrated or a portion of the first heater, capable of producing air heated to a temperature of 400-550" F. is introduced through inlet 18, whence the heated air moves in the direction of arrows I29 and I30 to the space II8 where it continues and with additional 400-500 F. air introduced through inlet I9 via arrow I3I passes around the end of baflle II9 as shown by arrow I3I and joins that entering at inlet 00. It will be noted that baflie 92 terminates a short distance from roller 88 and that bafiies 96 and I20 terminate short distances from rollers 89 and 90, respectively. Thus, space is provided adjacent the'rollers for the free passage of heated air from one section to another where the web makes a path over the roller.

Referring to Figures 1 and 6 particularly there is illustrated a vertically acting punch mechanism which is arranged to move the flat, hard, impregnated and polymerized web W in a horizontal path over punching dies and, while being so moved, to punch from the web discs of the web which serve as the top shot wads. For accomplishing this purpose the press includes a press frame I34 upon which are mounted a pair of entering feed rolls I35-I36 and a pair of leaving feed rolls I3I-I38. It may be noted that in Figure 1 the movement of the web is from left to right, but in Figure 6 the detail view is there shown from the opposite side of the machine, as compared with Figure l, and in Figure 6 the web movement is from right to left, as indicated by the arrow I39. Upon the frame I34 there is also mounted a die plate I40 which supports the cutting dies I50, these dies being supported upon a plurality of springs I5I. Beneath the die plate is a receptacle I52 for receiving the wads as punched by the machine. Upon the punch press there is also mounted a vertically reciprocating head I53 carrying a plurality of punch units I54 and I55 which are aligned with the corresponding openings of the die plate and the head I53 is arranged to be oscillated up and down in the direction of the double arrow I56. The reciprocation of the head I53 thus punches out a plurality of top shot wads from the disc for each motion of the head up and down.

Through apparatus not illustrated the feed rolls I35-I36 and I3'I-I38 are geared to the movement of the reciprocating head I53 in such a way that the feed rolls rotate a short distance after the punches I54I 55 have moved upwardly from the web and the feed rolls thus advance the web step-by-step as the head reciprocates. Referring to Figure 1 it will be noted that the feed rolls I36 and I38 are geared together by means of the gearing I60 and that the gear I60 is provided with a coaxially mounted sprocket I6I of the chain drive I62. The chain I62 runs over sprocket I63 mounted upon the side wall of the drying and polymerizing section cabinet. Coaxially mounted with sprocket I63 is a smaller sprocket I64 over which runs the chain I65 which is tracked over the drive sprockets I66 of roller 89, the drive sprocket I68 of roller 58 drives an idler drive sprocket I69 which is mounted so that slack in the chain may be taken up, the sprocket N0 of roller and the sprocket Ill of roller 88. In this manner as the punch press at the punching section I3 reciprocates and accordingly moves the feed rolls of the punch press, the chain I62 is correspondingly moved and it, through the chain I65, drives a suflicient number of rollers in the drying section and impregnating section so as to advance the web through those sections in preparation for final delivery to the punching section. The various sprockets at I6I and I63, and the size of sprockets I64, I66, I68, I69, I10, I'II are proportioned so that the web is fed into the impregnating section and through the drying, polymerizing and catalyzing section and is delivered to the wad cutting section I3 at a rate just sufiicient to fulfill the feeding requirements for wad cutting.

The rate of feed for acceptable commercial practice is approximately I4 lineal feet per minute, although a lesser or greater speed may be utilized if desired.

As many apparently widely difierent embodiments of this invention may be made without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, it is to be understood that we do not limit ourselves to the specific embodiments herein.

What we claim is:

1. An apparatus for preparing dried, polymerized, resin-impregnated paper board in preparation for punching disintegrating top shot wads therefrom comprising means for impregnating a continuous web of paper board with resin and for then drying and polymerizing the same, said means for impregnating including, a dip tank open at the top, a supporting frame removably positioned in said dip tank, means on said frame for guiding the web downwardly into the tank in a plurality of passes and upwardly from said tank, said supporting frame having a base and uprights disposed within said tank and being entirely removable as a unit through the open top of the tank and a surrounding heating coil mounted on the framework within the tank, said heating coil being removable thru the open top of the tank in conjunction with the frame on which said coil is mounted.

2. An apparatus for making disintegrating top shot wads comprising means for impregnating a web of paper, including a heated dip tank for resin solution open at the top, roll means for guiding the web therethrough, said roll means comprising an introductory roll adapted to receive said web of paper at normal room temperature and an intermediate roll, said intermediate roll being situated parallel to said introductory roll and slightly below the same, a pair of lower rolls mounted upon a vertically moveable frame, said pair of rolls being freely moveable from the position well below the intermediate roll .to a position slightly above the intermediate roll for threading of said web therethrough, said roll means being operative to guide said web through said dip tank in a plurality of passes, heated coil means situated within said tank, said roll means and said heated coil means mounted upon a frame which is readily removeable through the top of said tank, means for raising and lowering said frame relative to the tank, a drying chamber having side walls, end walls, and top walls, said chamber having a plurality of parallel baffles therein, said baflles alternately attached to opposite ends of said chamber for defining a course of substantially parallel paths of travel for said web through said chamber, rollers in said chamber for guiding said web through said path, means for introducing heated air at a moderate temperature, intermediate the course of travel through said paths and for withdrawing said air therefrom adjacent the beginning of said paths, and means for introducing more intensely heated air adjacent the end of said path so as to form a moderately heated horizontal temperature zone at the upper portion of said chamber and a more intensely heated horizontal temperature zone at the lower portion thereof, means for withdrawing said web from said drying chamber subsequent to its travel through said moderate temperature zone and before its travel through said more intensely heated temperature zone, means for substantially preventing the escape of heated air through said means for withdrawing said web, impregnating roll means for impreghating said web with a liquid while said web is so withdrawn, means for then introducing said impregnated web into the more intensely heated temperature zone, means for then withdrawing said web in a flat condition from said intensely heated chamber and for moving it directly without bending to means for punching discs from the web, said means for punching comprising a reciprocating punch and feed rolls thereon operated for step-by-step\ rotation in synchronism with the reciprocation of said punch means for advancing the web as it is punched, gear means connecting the feed rolls of the punch means and remaining sections of the apparatus for feeding the web therethrough preparatory to punching, said punch feed rolls rotating in synchronism with the said roll means for feeding and guiding said web through said chamber, whereby the sheet is punched while it is level and flat directly as it is produced to prevent bending and fracture of the web incident to handling.

3. In an apparatus for making disintegrating top shot wads, means for impregnating a web of paper, including a heated dip tank open at the top for resin solution, roll means for guiding the web therethrough, said roll means comprising an introductory roll adapted to receive said web of paper at normal room temperature and an intermediate roll, said intermediate roll being situated parallel to said introductory roll and slightly before the same, a pair of lower rolls mounted upon a vertically moveable frame, said frame being vertically movable relative to said tank and means for so moving said frame, said pair of rolls being thereby freely moveable from the position well below the intermediate roll to a position slightly above the intermediate roll for threading of said web therethrough, said roll means being operative to guide said web through said dip tank in a plurality of passes, heated coil means situated within said tank, said roll means and said heated coil means mounted upon a frame which is readily removeable through the top of said tank.

4. In an apparatus for making disintegrating top shot wads a drying chamber having side walls, end walls and top walls, said chamber having a plurality of parallel bailles therein, said baflles alternately attached to opposite ends of said chamber for defining a course of substantially parallel paths of travel for said web through said chamber, rollers in said chamber for guiding said web through said path, means for introducing heated air at a moderate temperature intermediate the course of travel through said paths and for withdrawing said air therefrom adjacent the beginning of said paths, means for introducing more intensely heated air adjacent the end of said path so as to form a moderately heated horizontal temperature zone at the upper portion of said chamber and a more intensely heated horizontal temperature zone at the lower portion thereof, means for withdrawing said web from said drying chamber subsequent to its travel through said moderate temperature zone and before its travel through said more intensely heated temperature zone, impregnating roll means for impregnating said web with a liquid while said web is so withdrawn, means for then introducing said impregnated web into the more intensely heated temperature zone and means for then withdrawing said web from said drying chamber and means for punching discs from the web as it leaves the drying chamber comprising a reciprocated punch and feed rolls thereon with means operating said rolls in step-by-step rotation in synchronism with the reciprocation of said punch means, for advancing the web as it is punched, gear means connecting the punch means feed rolls and said means for introducing and withdrawing said web from said chamber for teeding the web from said chamber in fiat condition preparatory to punching and for operating said punch feed rolls in synchronism with said means for introducing and withdrawing said web from said chamber to punch said web at the completion of the drying operation thereby preventing bending and fracture of the web.

WILLIAM N. KING.

NICHOLAS A. ROMANCHUK.

RALPH LYNN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the tile 01 this patent:

Number 10 UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Beck et a1. Sept. 19, 1905 Collins Mar. 23, 1920 Nicholls Dec. 13, 1921 Nicholls Oct. 19, 1926 Searight Dec. 22, 1931 Loomis Jan. 29, 1935 Brown Aug. 11, 1936 Eriksson et a1 Aug. 26, 1947 

